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Friday, November 30, 2012

I've been busy pinning yummy recipes. I'm actually making some of them too. This cream of turkey rice soup was wonderful. I used a brown basmati and wild rice mixture and used mostly 1% milk. I had a splash of heavy cream in the fridge, so I tossed that in too. The biscuits are those three ingredient sour cream butter biscuits. I half the recipe and it makes 24 mini muffin biscuits. Inspector Gadget loves them. College Boy won't touch them. I think he thinks I put mayo in them. He's deathly afraid of mayo and I have been known to trick him. Not being honest backfires every time. The soup was loved by all though.

Step two of the Easy Street mystery posted this morning. I wasted no time chopping my fabrics for 128 flying geese. I've always loved flying geese. It's going to be fun to see how Bonnie puts all these blocks together. I'm really enjoying digging into my batiks. I wish it was a little scrappier, but I'm pulling big hunks of batik stash to use.

Before I forget, the winner of my giveaway is comment number two. An e-mail should be coming your way. Thanks for playing.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hollywood and I drug out College Boy's Legos yesterday. It started out orderly...

Then we proceeded to dump them all over the floor of my studio. She likes to organize like me, so it took all our restraint not to spend the next two weeks sorting Legos. I did find all the people and hats though! And wheels. And accessories. What we were trying to make is this Lego sewing machine. Now you can see why College Boy needed college scholarships and attends state colleges. We spent the private college money on Legos. Harvard probably wouldn't have been fun anyway. Too cold.

Tada! Hollywood did a good job didn't she? Funny since she never really played with Legos. She was more of a Barbie, bead, crafty kid. My vacuum cleaner was reminiscing the Lego days yesterday afternoon. Some of those pieces are tiny. We found all kinds of "treasures" in the Lego boxes. A padlock, fingernail clippers, a toenail clipping, Mr. Potato Head, several Matchbox cars, dead batteries, one pog, several Crazy Bones and two Mighty Beanz. Not to mention rubber bands and dismantled electronics. It was like memory lane I tell you.

I'm hoping to finish my 192 four patches today. About 40 more to go. Piece o' cake. Step two of this mystery quilt should be posted tomorrow. I want to be ready.

A rose from my neighbor's garden. She has several bushes with these rose-like flowers. They're tiny, but really pretty. The neighbors have moved away and I have a sudden urge to cut all the dead heads off her bushes. It would take me hours. Okay, I'll go back to my side of the street. You're probably not supposed to cut them off of this type of bush anyway. Besides, I have Legos and four patches to play with.

Monday, November 26, 2012

As if I didn't have enough ongoing quilting projects, I decided to join in on Quiltville's latest mystery "Easy Street." Bonnie promises it will be easy as the name suggests. I've completed three of Bonnie's mystery quilts and started on "Roll, Roll Cotton Boll," but didn't get very far. Those pieces and parts are shoved somewhere. And of course the instructions are long gone. They are published in a book, so there's that.

Bonnie has us spinning the seams of these four patches to create a tiny four patch on the back side. That will make quilting much easier. No big bump. A good quilting skill to learn. That's one of the things I love about quilting. There's always something new to learn. I decided to use my stash of batiks for this mystery. They've been neglected for a while.

I rarely win anything, but I did get lucky and win some pinsies from Karen over at the Selvage Blog. They're gorgeous! They even match my four patches. They are about 3" long and shimmer with beautiful beads. I may have to make a special pin cushion for these beauties.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

My Olive Tree wall hanging is a flimsy. I'm not sure if I'm going to quilt this myself, but you just never know. I do like how it turned out. It was a fun workshop and pattern. The fabrics came from my stash which is always nice. I bet I even have appropriate backing and binding fabrics.

If you'd like to make this piece, I have one pattern up for grabs. It includes detailed instruction, tips and a paper template. We purchased these at the workshop, but Carolyn provided our templates. I know there are too many fun projects out there, so I will probably never make another. If you'd like to give it a try, just leave a comment below. I'm happy to mail it anywhere. It's a fun paper piecing project. Find more of Carolyn's patterns here. Girl is talented.

Sun-dried tomato, mushroom, and roasted red pepper risotto. I could eat risotto once a week. I served it with some crostini covered with tomatoes, basil, capers, and balsamic vinegar. I put my turkey into the oven about an hour ago. I may have to go take a walk, so I can smell the thing cooking when I come back in. I'm so excited to have turkey leftovers. I'm making stuffing too.

I'll show these log cabins since I've got a purple theme going. Only six more to make. Yay. I'm getting a little bored with them. And they aren't putting even a little dent in my scrap stash.

Friday, November 23, 2012

I'm auditioning different fabrics for the sashing and borders for my Olive tree project. I'm not sure I have enough of that solid purple, so I may have to find something else. I've never been to any Black Friday sales, but I did do some online shopping this morning. Everyone wants fabric and rotary cutter blades for Christmas, right? Hollywood is out there with the masses trying to find good deals.

I had to buy corn flakes for the sweet potato casserole I brought for Thanksgiving, so I had a huge box of corn flakes. I happened to run across these HolyCrapTheseAreAmazing Cookies recipe and whipped these up one evening. Everyone loved them and who doesn't love a cookie recipe that is no bake and only requires five ingredients? I halved the recipe just to test it out.

College Boy went to his girlfriend's house for Thanksgiving dinner, so I whipped up this pecan pie last minute for him to take. I omitted the booze. Inspector Gadget was sad to see the pie go, so I'll give this recipe a try again with the booze. I might even pre-bake the crust like the recipe advises. College Boy said everyone liked the pie. It was a different recipe than I usually use.

We went out to the country to my cousin's house for Thanksgiving. They had a huge spread and everything was so delicious. There were 20 people, 7 dogs, 1 horse and a baby for the day. That's Jesse, the cantankerous horse. He seemed to like me and wanted to get really close. What was really funny was how he guarded his feed pail when it was time to eat. He's a kicker!

Baby Mia is such a sweetie. She played on the patio table for an hour or so. She never whimpered the entire day and only slept 10 minutes. Such a happy baby. I think she enjoyed being passed around and all the family commotion. We're a loud bunch. College Boy and his girlfriend made the two-hour drive to have dessert with us. It was a picture-perfect Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for.

The guys were busy peeling potatoes and making gravy with noodles under supervision of a mom expert. There was so much yummy food. The guys also cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom after the feast. My cousins are the best.

Nicole made this gorgeous apple pie. I'm getting hungry again. The turkey I bought Tuesday is still frozen solid. I'm hoping it thaws out so I can cook it this weekend. I need a turkey sandwich.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

My paper pieced tree blocks are completed. Now to choose sashing and border fabrics. I'm hoping to get to that today between Thanksgiving prep and real job. I only have to make two dishes for Thanksgiving, so I got off easy for the holiday. I will cook a turkey for my family this weekend. College Boy received a free one from his employer. I don't need much of an excuse to roast a turkey. It's one of my most favorite things to cook (and eat).

The paper carnage from the blocks. Tweezers and a straight pin are my weapons of choice. It only took one episode of "Snapped" to get the paper off four blocks. I think my television choice was appropriate. Ha!

My cousin Jimmy's wife wanted one of my quilts and I was happy to oblige. Meka is a high-spirited, hilarious girl and I thought this quilt would fit her personality. I bought the quilting, but the piecing and applique are all mine. The applique is a needle-turn fused technique. The fabric is "Woodstock" by Isadora Phoenix. This quilt was finished four years ago, so it really needed a home.

Check out my "pieced" backing. I guess I was a tad short there. I called it "Flower Power" when I first made it, so I suppose that name can stick. I might even make a label because it took me forever to hunt down the specifics. I started out making good notes about my quilts when I first began, but that didn't last long. Flower Power is in washer getting freshened up for gifting. I hope Meka likes it.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

These zucchini tots were my dinner one night last week. I topped them with marinara sauce. They were really good and easy. Even my zucchini hater liked them. I love when that happens.

Well, I thought I was done with these scrappy log cabins. Apparently 6 x 7 is not 32. Ten more to go. I can certainly spare the scraps and they are fun to make.

I made that marinated cheese again for our Sew Day workshop. I love our Sew Day potlucks. The food is always wonderful.

Our workshop was with Carolyn Friedlander. She taught us paper piecing and shared many tips and tricks. I've done my share of paper piecing, but it is still challenging for me. I had a few "aha" moments yesterday, so I might be getting the hang of it. I do love the technique and there are some adorable patterns out there.

I managed to finish three blocks during the workshop and started on the fourth. I hope to finish the fourth block today and start ripping off the foundation papers (the fun part, NOT). Think my fabric selections are wild enough? They are Kaffe Fassett's "Kite Tails." I waited until the last minute to select my fabric for this project. I've been hoarding saving these Kaffe prints a while. Glad to find a project for them.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Aren't these sea urchin pincushions fancy? Might make a fun gift for a fellow sewist or crafter. The beaded "pinsies" are clever too. Karen over at the Selvage Blog is having a giveaway and I'm feeling lucky. I'm a huge sucker for pincushions.

Day three of this cold started out rough. I am definitely not cured. It's almost 10 am and I'm just now feeling well enough to be a part of the day. My head was throbbing. Inspector Gadget is down too, but not with my cold. I won't go into the details of projectile vomit all over my walls and carpet, but he had an allergic to a super power antibiotic his doctor prescribed for his mystery headaches. I guess I did go into detail. Ha! It was nasty. I don't know what he ate for lunch. Luckily I can't smell much, so I got clean up duty last night. Needless to say, I slept in the guest room. So how have you been?

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Melty, drippy, toasty Cubans served with black bean soup. One of my favorite quickie dinners. The kids love Cubans too. I crashed my panini press, but we duct taped it together and made do. Back in the day, I did them in a regular frying pan using dinner plates and canned goods to weigh them down. Sometimes I think simplicity is better, but someone thought I needed a panini press. His name rhymes with Director Widget. And you can bet he has a widget. Probably one in each size.

The Chili Cook-off was a big success. I think there were 13 different kinds of chili and all kinds of other food. My version was this Jerk Chicken Chili. It was pretty good, but didn't take home any prizes. Someone did ask for the recipe. I'm always leery sharing recipes because I usually change something or lots of somethings. It infuriates my mom. Ha!

I also brought this marinated cheese appetizer. I didn't remember to get a photo until I had wrapped it a billion times with plastic wrap for transport. The appetizer was a big hit. I'll be making this again. This recipe I followed to the T. I think I'll use less olive oil and vinegar next time. It was drippy.

Day two of my cold. Gargling vinegar and water every hour yesterday worked wonders. No more sore throat. I rested and drank tons of fluids too. This morning started off with the sniffles and a headache. Irritating since I had to get my well woman exam, mammogram, and run ten thousand errands today. I hope I didn't infect anyone. I did tire easier than normal, so I'm chilling this afternoon. And no more sniffles or headache. I think I shall be cured by tomorrow or the next day.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

I woke up at 3 am with a sore throat. I haven't had a cold since my kids brought home daycare germs. Or as Inspector Gadget called them "floor germs." So much for that lucky 15-year streak. Thankfully, I don't feel very bad. I bought these grocery store roses last week and they're making me feel better. I'm also downing vitamin C and large amounts of water. A couple of aspirin got rid of the sore throat.

Dinner one night last week was chicken with sherry vinegar. You were also supposed to use sherry wine, but I didn't have any. I substituted with white wine. Nice dish. The sherry vinegar makes it zingy. I have sherry wine now, so I'll have to try this recipe again. I also served a mixed green salad with goat cheese and pomegranate.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Uh oh, monthly guild meeting at The Sewing Studio this week. We get 15% off regular priced merchandise, but I like the sale stuff. I found some retro crabs, Snoopy decorating his dog house, black and white wine glasses, colorful dots, and fun Halloween prints.

Since I'm the queen of odd breakfasts, I thought I'd show you something normal I ate for breakfast. Uncle Sam cereal with sliced bananas. I gave up bananas for a while because they're really high on the glycemic index, but I eat one every now and then. Uncle Sam cereal is pretty good, but those flax seeds remind me of bugs. I'd much rather have a can of sardines with Triscuits. Told you I was odd.